Sandra's Exquisite Blog

I developed TMJ (Temporal Mandibular Joint) Disorder in 1989 as a result of a dental procedure where the dentist applied too much pressure and my mouth open too long.  As a result, I was locked closed for a period of time before the dentist decided he didn’t know what was wrong.  He referred me to an orthodontist and the orthodontist referred me to an oral maxillofacial surgeon.  I had several surgeries the first year.  The oral surgeon informed me I would this disorder the rest of my life.

I’ve had eight jaw surgeries and the incisions were on the temporal areas, underneath my jaws and from my back wisdom teeth to the center front of my teeth on the inside of my mouth.  I’ve had total jaw joint replacements bilaterally, been wired shut several times, my mandible broken with steel plates installed in my mandible which had to be removed several years later, my teeth calibrated and uncalibrated, an aricular graft, bone and tissue grafts, a partial jaw joint replacement, arch bars surgically implanted, and my hair shaved from both sides of my face from my ears past the upper temporal portion of my head. Insurance companies denied the majority of my health care and surgical procedures and I had to fight to get them reversed.

I started designing and decorating hats to wear to cover up my incisions and where my hair was shaved  so my appearance would not draw so much attention to face due to the incisions, scars and where my headwas shaved and to protect my scars and face from the sun exposure.

I also worked part-time at Talbots at Plaza Frontenac and assisted my clients with decorating hats for Derby Parties